A 20+ Year-Old "Piece O' Cake" Motorglider Takes to the Air Again

Kim Mon May 24, 2021 9:30 am

My ex-father in-law was cleaning out his basement a while back, and asked if I'd take the model planes he'd built WAY back when I was married to his daughter (shiver!). We'd stayed on good terms (much to the consternation of my ex) after the divorce, but we never got together to fly.

Now, this little motorglider is ready to rock, and I intend to get him some flying time with it if his health will allow.

https://youtu.be/g8VFnBTH6u8

getback Tue May 25, 2021 7:02 am

She looked good in the air and the float was Nice also ! That old Airtronics radio did it's thing , I know that made you happy and no interference ! It should bring some good entertainment at S.M.A.L.L. Friends/Meeting

Kim Tue May 25, 2021 8:37 am

getback wrote: She looked good in the air and the float was Nice also ! That old Airtronics radio did it's thing , I know that made you happy and no interference ! It should bring some good entertainment at S.M.A.L.L.

I'm almost afraid to say, for fear of bringing on bad luck, but I've had nothing but success with my 72mhz radios, here, at S.M.A.L.L., and even at the Sig Fly-In up in Montezuma,,IA. The biggest problem I'd encountered was at the Sig Fly-In, where an older gentleman didn't want to walk to the frequency board each time he flew, so just collected all the pins for his radios and kept them at his table...THEN got pretty irked at me for wanting to "borrow" them from him! Very Happy

At any rate, the Piece O' Cake will probably get a different radio eventually, but it'll make the run to S.M.A.L.L. as is. Checking the trim levers and elevator position in the video, I THINK I may have---for the first time I can remember---balanced a plane slightly node-heavy! That just never happens in my world, so gonna take a little of it's nose ballast away to get that elevator level in glide.

Gonna leave for S.M.A.L.L. a week from today, so the assault on my shop is about to begin--------getting excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A 20+ Year-Old "Piece O' Cake" Motorglider Takes to the Air Again Img_5910

A 20+ Year-Old "Piece O' Cake" Motorglider Takes to the Air Again Img_5911

**Cribbs74** Tue May 25, 2021 9:45 am

Have a good time Kim!

Kim Wed May 26, 2021 6:55 am

Cribbs74 wrote:Have a good time Kim!

Gonna do it!

Thanks Ron!!!!!!!

MrGoodwreck Fri Sep 03, 2021 8:16 pm

Were you able to get the old boy to fly his plane?

Kim Sat Sep 04, 2021 4:35 am

MrGoodwreck wrote:Were you able to get the old boy to fly his plane?

I haven't been back there yet, mostly due to the heat and bugs we're experiencing!. Thinking of swapping out the receiver to allow use of my buddy box system to cut down on the transmitter shuffling, but may just take all the htrows to minimum, and go that way.

Will report when it happens!

rsv1cox Sat Sep 04, 2021 7:03 am

Kim wrote:
MrGoodwreck wrote:Were you able to get the old boy to fly his plane?

I haven't been back there yet, mostly due to the heat and bugs we're experiencing!. Thinking of swapping out the receiver to allow use of my buddy box system to cut down on the transmitter shuffling, but may just take all the htrows to minimum, and go that way.

Will report when it happens!

Bind and fly Kim. Bind and fly. One transmitter as you know controls lots of planes. Initial investment not to bad. But like you I have always been stuck on 72Mhz but my son loves the stuff.

Kim Sat Sep 04, 2021 7:38 am

rsv1cox wrote:
Kim wrote:
MrGoodwreck wrote:Were you able to get the old boy to fly his plane?

I haven't been back there yet, mostly due to the heat and bugs we're experiencing!. Thinking of swapping out the receiver to allow use of my buddy box system to cut down on the transmitter shuffling, but may just take all the throws to minimum, and go that way.

Will report when it happens!

Bind and fly Kim. Bind and fly. One transmitter as you know controls lots of planes. Initial investment not to bad. But like you I have always been stuck on 72Mhz but my son loves the stuff.

Yeah, I've got several "plug & play" types that are Bind and Fly and some Spektrum stuff. It's just that I've got SOOOOO much 72 stuff that works just great for my purposes and, knock on wood, have had absolutely no problems that could be traced to my long antennas.

Probably gonna ride this tech on out to the end...and tend to worry more about the "Plastic Badge Nazi's" more than my old gear.... Smile

Coxfledgling Sat Sep 04, 2021 2:11 pm

The more I look at that glider the more it looks like one I threw together a good 25 years ago.

The wing was adapted by lengthening it by a few bays and extending the dyhedral tip a little. The wing was from a Found free flight free plan in aeromodeler magazine an is on Outer zone, Found Centennial from memory.

The fuz I made from one piece of 4 inch I think it was, by 36 inch 1/8 sheet, and bits from the scrap box for the top and bottom.

It's 2 channel r + e flying on cheapo 27 meg, and powered by an ME Heron 1cc diesel.

I added sruce spars made from guy Fawkes night rocket sticks, didn't have much spare money in those days. Rockets are not as popular these days, only 7 found last year locally.

No undercarriage on mine.

I few it from a beach until it was a tiny dot in the sky, then the fuel runs out, glides about for a long time, spins and recovery and loops fine.

Cheap and great fun. I flew it in the valley I have been living in since 2001 but the recent "restrictions" mean I should not fly it here.

I will try and post a picture.

Been meaning to make a very similar low wing version, this winter is going to be a busy model making one.

Found Centennial FC 100, outerzone oz3287

MrGoodwreck Sun Sep 05, 2021 12:57 am

Kim wrote:
MrGoodwreck wrote:Were you able to get the old boy to fly his plane?

I haven't been back there yet, mostly due to the heat and bugs we're experiencing!. Thinking of swapping out the receiver to allow use of my buddy box system to cut down on the transmitter shuffling, but may just take all the htrows to minimum, and go that way.

Will report when it happens!

I look forward to hearing about it.

I like this kind of stuff. Laughing

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A 20+ Year-Old "Piece O' Cake" Motorglider Takes to the Air Again

A 20+ Year-Old "Piece O' Cake" Motorglider Takes to the Air Again

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Re: A 20+ Year-Old "Piece O' Cake" Motorglider Takes to the Air Again

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Re: A 20+ Year-Old "Piece O' Cake" Motorglider Takes to the Air Again

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